# Licensing in South Hams

> South Hams has no selective or additional licensing scheme in force.

- Checked 26 Oct 2026 (researched_at 2026-10-26, verified_at 2026-10-26)
- Region: South West
- ONS code: E07000044
- Web page: https://lettance.com/councils/south-hams
- API: https://lettance.com/api/v1/councils/south-hams

## Licensing schemes

### Mandatory HMO licence: Mandatory HMO licensing (national scheme, South Hams fees)

- Status: In force (`in_force`)
- Area: The whole of South Hams District (national scheme).
- Fee: Published standard fee: £446.40. Council HMO licensing page (live when checked on 26 October 2026): licence fee £446.40 plus a 'Fit and Proper' fee of £144.00. No fee year, Part A/Part B split, per-room charge or renewal rate is shown, and the application forms (September 2025) state no amount.
- Licence length: 5 years
- Who needs one: HMOs let to five or more people who form two or more households (national test).
- Exemptions: Statutory exemptions under Schedule 14 to the Housing Act 2004.
- Apply: https://www.southhams.gov.uk/housing/houses-multiple-occupation-hmo/hmo-licensing
- Confidence: High
- How we checked this: The council's page says 'The HMO Licence fee is £446.40. The licence needs to be renewed every five years. The 'Fit and Proper' fee is £144.00.' Apply by emailing the application or renewal form to licensing@swdevon.gov.uk (shared South Hams and West Devon service). Required documents: gas safety certificate, electrical condition report and a labelled floor plan with room dimensions. The council publishes an HMO register.
- Sources: https://www.southhams.gov.uk/housing/houses-multiple-occupation-hmo/hmo-licensing, https://www.southhams.gov.uk/housing/houses-multiple-occupation-hmo

## Article 4 for house shares

Not yet confirmed: whether South Hams has an Article 4 direction on house shares.

## Civil penalty policy

The council's policy sets how it decides the size of a fine. The version we found has been updated for the Renters' Rights Act.

The South Hams Executive on 16 July 2026 (item E.15/26, 'Renters' Rights Act and Update to the Enforcement Policy') resolved that the Civil Penalty Policy at Appendix A 'be adopted'. The policy, 'Housing: Civil Penalty Policy – Civil penalties under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and other housing legislation', uses the statutory starting points with a landlord-type adjustment: failure to obtain an HMO licence (s.72(1)) starting point £17,000 (downward £13,600, upward £20,400), statutory maximum £40,000. The council website still has an older 'Housing Standards - Civil Penalty Policy' guide based on the 2017 Housing and Planning Act powers, which does not reflect the Renters' Rights Act.

Policy: https://democracy.swdevon.gov.uk/documents/s36324/Appendix%20A%20Civil%20Penalty%20Policy.pdf

## Consultations

We found no consultations when we researched South Hams.

## Not yet confirmed

We could not settle these points when we researched South Hams on 26 October 2026. Check them with the council before you rely on them.

- No additional or selective licensing scheme, proposal or consultation was found on the council's HMO pages (which describe mandatory licensing only), its sitemap, or the shared South Hams and West Devon committee agendas from January to October 2026 (the July 2026 Renters' Rights Act report proposes no designation). The council does not expressly state the absence.
- Absence of an HMO Article 4 direction is inferred; South Hams publishes no Article 4 data to planning.data.gov.uk.
- The published fee (£446.40 plus £144.00 'Fit and Proper' fee) appears on the council's live HMO licensing page but no fee year or 2026/27 fees schedule was found; confirm with the council before relying on it.

## Landlord register

The national landlord register is separate from licensing. South Hams is in South West, where registration is planned from 15 August 2027 to 14 November 2027. The regulations are still in draft. Read about the register: https://lettance.com/register

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From Lettance: https://lettance.com/councils/south-hams (catalogue edition 31 October 2026). This is information, not legal advice. Check the linked sources, and the council's own pages, before you act.